General Grant consolidated Union forces in the Shenandoah Valley and placed them under the abolitionist general, David Hunter. Hatred of the South clouded "Black Dave's" military judgment and he often rejected the advice of his generals in order to pursue his own agendas. Burning, looting, and meaningless destruction were commonplace during the reign of this sinister general's anger. A self-appointed avenger, he wantonly killed civilians without provocation, reaping his own brand of punishment on many towns. Battle locations such as Winchester, Covington, Lexington, Lynchburg, Salem, and New Castle were only some of the unfortunate recipients of his rage.
During the Civil War, the North ravaged the South's homes, land, and economy, but few men did more damage than Union major general David Hunter, who ransacked the Virginia valleys and helped ensure a Northern victory at a heavy price.
Hunter was known throughout the Confederacy as the "Northern general all Southerners love to hate." He was one of the first Union commanders to use the scorched earth policy, and he destroyed countless dollars' worth of property, livestock, and crops. Driven by a hatred for the South, Hunter reaped his vengeance upon the people in the valleys of Virginia and changed the character of America's bloodiest conflict.
Numerous towns and villages were looted and burned by Hunter and his men, and hundreds of Southern families were left homeless and penniless in his wake. Mortified by their commander's ruthlessness, Hunter's own soldiers nicknamed him "Black Dave." Confederate president Jefferson Davis branded Hunter a criminal and placed a bounty on his head.
This is Gary C. Walker's detailed account of Hunter's raid through the valleys of Virginia. He analyzes Hunter's strategy and examines his psychological motivations in each battle, revealing the man behind the hardened general. Walker looks at the individual soldier and crying Southern belle and re-creates a world as alive and real, as frightening and beautiful, as the one Hunter destroyed long ago.
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Gary C. Walker is the author of several Civil War books and is the only writer in the Commonwealth of Virginia to make his income writing about America's Civil War. He has been a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for over thirty years and has been recognized by the State of South Carolina Legislature for his many accomplishments in the Civil War field. Walker is a member of several historic and preservation groups and often participates in Civil War reenactments.
